Richmond July 4 planned shooting: Tip from “hero citizen” prevents mass attack during celebrations, suspects arrested

On Wednesday, Virginia police said they were able to prevent a planned July 4 shooting after they received a tip that resulted in the arrest of two men and seizure of guns in Richmond, Virginia. The announcement came just two days after a deadly mass shooting took place in a Chicago suburb.

According to police chief Gerald Smith, the "hero citizen" overheard a conversation that suggested an attack was being planned on the Fourth of July. He conveyed the same to the police soon after.

The tipster also indicated that the suspects were planning to shoot up Dogwood Dell, a nearby amphitheater, but he had no idea where the chat had taken place.

On July 1, police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI launched an investigation in response to the tip, which resulted in the arrest of two men.

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Richmond suspects' residence was filled with weapons and ammunition

Police went to a residence in the 1000 block of Columbia Ave. the same day the suspects were arrested. Once they broke into the home, they discovered two assault weapons, one handgun and 223 rounds of ammunition. It is still unclear how the firearms were obtained, police chief Smith said.

Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, was detained on suspicion of being a non-U.S. citizen in possession of a firearm on July 1. Rolman A. Balacarcel, 38, who was reportedly Alvarado-Dubon's roommate, was then put under surveillance because authorities lacked sufficient evidence to detain him.

However, four days later Balacarcel was detained over identical allegations. Smith has stated that there may be additional charges, claiming that the two suspects were unknown to the authorities in the past. He added that Alvarado-Dubon and Balacarcel are being held without bond at the Richmond City Jail.

Speaking about the incident, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Levar Stoney, said:

"Our officers quietly investigated and collaborated with their law enforcement partners and the community to stop what could've been a terrible day for the city of Richmond."

Cops emphasized the significance of the tip but did not go into greater detail regarding the motive behind the same.

Speaking about the importance of receiving the tip, police chief Smith said:

"The success of this particular investigation can only be juxtaposed against the horrors of which the rest of the country has seen. There is no telling how many lives this hero citizen has saved from one phone call."

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Gun-related violence continues to be a problem in the U.S.

The Richmond news comes after a gunman opened fire during an Independence Day celebration in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring dozens more.

The alleged Richmond shooting plot, which appears to have been thwarted, was scheduled on the same day that a shooter opened fire from a rooftop during a Fourth of July parade in the affluent Chicago neighborhood of Highland Park.

Seven counts of murder were brought against Robert E. Crimo III on Tuesday. Following the shooting, which caused hundreds of people to flee in terror, an intense manhunt began. Authorities have not yet determined the reason behind the attack.

Levar Stoney, the mayor of Richmond, called the mass shootings an "epidemic" across the country and urged the U.S. Congress to go beyond the bipartisan gun legislation that was signed into law last month.

Stoney said:

"There is mayor after mayor across this country who are frustrated by the current state."

He further added:

"We need more. If members of Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — want to pat themselves on the back and say they’ve done something, come to urban areas like Richmond on a day-to-day basis, weekend-to-weekend, and you’re going to see for yourself, we need more."

According to data provided by the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit monitoring such instances, over 300 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. in the past 186 days — adding to an already violent spring and summer in the country.